


Pet

by Marsalias



Series: Dannymay 2019 [8]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Danny has a bad time, Gen, crossposted from ffn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24343429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marsalias/pseuds/Marsalias
Summary: "I'm not your pet," hissed Danny, more to reassure himself than anything else.Vlad didn't answer right away, tilting back his head so that he could look down his aristocratic nose at Danny. "No," he said, finally. "But if you would prefer that scenario, I assure you, I can arrange it, son."Danny shivered at the genteel emphasis Vlad put on the last word. Vlad put his hand on Danny's head, and forced his fingers through his hair."Would you, son?"Danny's throat tightened, but the words came out anyway. "No, father."
Series: Dannymay 2019 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1757458
Comments: 6
Kudos: 136
Collections: Love dan





	Pet

"I'm not your pet," hissed Danny, more to reassure himself than anything else.

Vlad didn't answer right away, tilting back his head so that he could look down his aristocratic nose at Danny. "No," he said, finally. "But if you would prefer that scenario, I assure you, I can arrange it, son."

Danny shivered at the genteel emphasis Vlad put on the last word. Vlad put his hand on Danny's head, and forced his fingers through his hair.

"Would you, son?"

Danny's throat tightened, but the words came out anyway. "No, father."

"Good," said Vlad. He smiled, eyes half kidded and opaque. He dragged his hand down over the side of Danny's face, coming to a rest when it was cupped around the side of Danny's neck, his thumb brushing gently over the ribbon tied there.

According to Vlad, the ribbon had been made by a witch who had wanted to resurrect her daughter,, whi had been beheaded, and had added certain 'safety features' in case what came back wasn't her daughter. Safety features that would, for example, let her force an imposter into the role of obedient daughter, regardless of what it actually was. Danny didn't know if that was true or not. He had never met an actual witch, but he was half-dead, so he wasn't one to question the plausibility of someone else's existence.

Besides, what the thing did to Danny was pretty much undeniable. First, it forced him into his human form, which he suppose aligned with the 'resurrection' bit. Second, it forced Danny to bend somewhat to Vlad's will, although there seemed to be some wiggle room there, space for interpretation. So far, Vlad had only forced Danny to act as his son, but he claimed he could make Danny take on other, more humiliating roles. Danny hadn't pushed the issue yet. Third, and worst, if the ribbon came off, so did Danny's head.

That wasn't a figure of speech.

When Danny first woke up in Vlad's lab, when the word 'father' first tumbled from his lips, he had realized what the ribbon was doing, and took it off. There hadn't been anything special keeping it on. He just had to pull out the knot, and when he did, his head fell off, his neck separating right where the ribbon had lain against it.

Being beheaded was among the most horrible things he had ever experienced. It hurt, each of his nerve endings lit up and _screaming_ , like he couldn't, what with his vocal cords and mouth separated from his lungs. He had no control, his head just rolled away across the floor, mouth working uselessly, and his body seized, jerking and arching wildly, his hands reaching for his neck out of instinct. He could feel his body as it happened, though, just like he could feel his face pressed against the floor that was rapidly growing slick with blood.

He'd been certain he was about to die again, but, whether it was part of the ribbon's power, or part of Danny's hybrid biology, he didn't. He stayed alive, awake, and aware through the entire ordeal.

Vlad had picked up Danny's head and it dripped with blood and helpless, shocked, tears. He brought it over to his weakly thrashing body, and, with surprising gentleness, reattached it, wrapping the ribbon securely around the wound. Danny gasped as the wound resealed itself, and coughed up blood. He collapsed in on himself in shock and remembered agony.

Vlad, again to Danny's surprise, had then helped Danny clean himself, leading him to the bath, getting him fresh clothes, and helping him undress and scrub when it became clear that he simply couldn't do so himself. When it became obvious that he was shaking too much to hold onto anything, that he would just stare blankly into space if left to his own devices, Vlad had been oddly solicitous. Gentle. Supportive.

Danny had needed that, badly. Being beheaded was was traumatic.

But, now, they were back to... this. Then again, they had never really gotten _away_ from this. Vlad had caused the whole thing in the first place, and Danny wasn't sure if his reaction to the comfort Vlad offered wasn't partially caused by the ribbon's other effects. He wasn't going to test that by taking off the ribbon again, though. He was attached to his head, figuratively and literally, and he wanted it to stay that way.

"Good," repeated Vlad. He sat back down on the couch, and patted the cushion next to him. "Now, sit."

That was the order that he had taken exception to, earlier. He grit his teeth, and sat down. Vlad put his arm around Danny's shoulders, and pulled him close. Danny stayed very still.

"Now," said Vlad. "How have you been doing with your studies?"

Vlad had hired a tutor for Danny. A ghost tutor, to preserve their numerous secrets. Among the many indignities he'd suffered, having to do schoolwork he wouldn't even be graded on was... Not one of the worst. It was still bad.

"I'm okay," said Danny.

"Very good," said Vlad. He rubbed Danny's arm. "Tell me, what have you learned."

The thing was, Danny knew that Vlad always, _always_ , tested things on himself before using them on Danny. It was one of his (very) few redeeming features. As was obvious, Vlad's head was firmly attached to his body, high collared shirts aside. That meant that Vlad had either found some way to take off the ribbon without taking off his head, or he had found some way to reattach his head himself. Danny didn't know which, but he would find out.

He finished telling Vlad what he had learned.

"Very good," breathed Vlad. He held Danny tighter, and leaned over to kiss Danny on the forehead. "Very good," he repeated.

Danny would find out. He had to.


End file.
